Process of impregnating substances.



A. R. BULLOCK] PROCESS OF IMPBEGNA 'IING SUBSTANCES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 17, 1910.

Patented Aug; 13, 1912.

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v011M) e nib 0'1 I Be it known that I, ARTHUR 'or agents.

NITED s ra ns ABTHTIB a. BULLocK,

ENT QFFICE? or CLEVELAND, onro.

PROCESS OF IMPBEGNATING SUBSTANCES.

To all whom it may concern R. BULLOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, .in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in 'Processes of Impregnatin-g Substances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. This invention relates to a processby which solid or substantially solid substances may be impregnated with other substances As specific examples I may mention the curingor preserving of meat, hides, or other forms ofanimal, as well as vegetable matter and also the tanning of hides, although the process may be advantageously used in instances other than those cited.

Referring to the instances given above,-it-

is well known that it requires a long time to efiectthe desired result, for at present they are almost entirely practised, commercially,

by simply immersing the substance to be treated in a pro Iper solution to efiect the result desired; he length of time thus required is due to the slow penetration of the treating agent substance treated, which penetration takes place in accordan'ce with well known physical laws. 1

It is the object and purpose of this inven-' tion to provide a process which will materially hasten the impregnation of the substance treated and thus reduce the length of serving 0 time required to perfect the treatment, and moreover it is my belief that the impregna tion of the substance will be much more complete and uniform than is at present the case. There is a certain amount of impregnation which takes place merely by the immersion of the substance to be treated in the impregnating solution for the time during which the treatment takes place. How herein disclosed causes vthe impregnation of entirely b the use of the ma%ietic field of varying diinsity, as will later e explained. I am well aware that ithas heretofore been proposed to use a direct, as well as an current in the curlng and presubstances and the tanning of alternatin into the fibers or tissue of-the;

the substance substantially I Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 13,1912. Application filed December 17, 1910., Serial-No. 597,764.

hides, and the process involved consists essentially in causing a current either direct or alternating to pass placed within a tank which contains the preserving or curing solution, in which solucomes really efiective.

The process hereindisclosed may be said to consist essentially in bringing the subtion the substances to be treated are .im-

between electrodes the tank will naturally take an appreelable extent that the current bestance to be treated into proper contact re lation with the treating substance or substances, with which it is desired to impreg- 1 natethe first mentioned substance and then subjecting the substances to the action of a -magnetic field, the density of which .is continually changing. It is my belief that the treating substance or substances will be most effective for use when dissolved, to form a proper solution, or at least they should'be iILa semi-solution or plastic condition.-. Just what action the magnetic flux .may have up'on*the substance to be'impregnated, I cannot state with certainty, but it is m belief that a current of electricity is inuced within the substance, and the treating agent or substance, and either this current thus induced or the'magnet-ic flux itself causes a flexing of the fibers of the substance being treated so as to permit the impregnation oi-the substance by agent in a the treating shorterlength of time than wou d otherwise.

be possible to attain. Whether this theory beentirely correct or not is a matter of little moment, inasmuch as I havebeen able to cure a side of bacon in less than six hours, whereas the processvas at present practised re-vtpuires from twenty-five to forty days, and

am informed, even the process involving the use of the electric current which I have previously outlined, requires substantially three or fourdays'. I have also found that the treatment is hastened by causing the densityof the magnetic flux to change with great rapidity, and by the term great rapidity I mean to say that there are more than 'three hundred chan es or pulsations per second, and therefore If there be a current induced in the treating agent and substance being treated, this current will have -a frequency of more than three hundred alterations, or one hundred and fifty cycles per second. In practice I have used to advantage an induction apparatus, to the primary win'dings of which was supplied an alternating current having a frequency of 500 c cles. The magnetic flux may be produce either by a pulsating direct current or an alternating, when used with a suitable f induction apparatus, such as will be later described, and by the term pulsating direct current I mean to include a direct current,

the pulsations of which are produced in any manner whatsoever, and which results in ihe changing of the density of the magnetic a concrete example, I, shall describe my process as used in the curing of meat, although it' will be understood that this is only for purposes of disclosure, and forms 1 no restriction to its use in other relations.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, which illustrate two of a large variety offorms which the'apparatus for practising the process may assume.

Figure 1 is a 'vertical longitudinal sectionthrough the tank; Fig. 2 is a section at right angles to the showing in Fig. 1; Fig. 3' is a si e elevation of a modified form of apparatus; and Fig.' 4 is a vertical cross.

section of the showing in Fig.3.

In the form of apparatus shown in F1 1, a chute 1 extends throu the tank and is supported by the end wfils. Through the chute there extends a core of magnetically permeable material such as solid 1I0I1 or iron wire, which is wound with an electric conductor represented at 2. The conductor 2 at its terminals is electrically connected with a source of electric current whlch as before stated, is some form' of a pulsating current, either a pulsating direct current, or an alternating current. Extendlng abeve and below the central chute 1 are partltlon members 3 and 4, which members extend from end to end of the tank, but stop short of the bottom and the top thereof. When the tank is filled with solution, the top level of the same is always above thetop of the partition 3, and by the provislon of the members- 3 and 4,1 believe-that the circulation of the current through the solution in In a given path. I have found curing of bacon and hides there is no necessity of cooling the solution in the tank, but if in :the treatment of other substances, or even'in the case of bacon, it is desired, or found'necessa to cool, I- have provided the cooling ported in the upper part of the tank and through which may cooling coil does not form a conductor for the induced current and to obviate this I have shown the insulated section a: inserted as a ,part of the coil. By using a cooling coil placed as mentioned, circulation of the brine solution will be obtained due to the fact that the solutionincontactwith the coils upon being cooled becomes. denser than the other solutlon, and consequently Slnks to the bottom of the tank, while the; warm solution rises to the top of the tank mto contact with the cooling coilsa. As'will be apparent, this circulation is contlnuous. Suitable racks, such as indicated at 5 are provided, upon which the meat or substance to be cured may rest; v p p In the form of ap aratusshown 1n Flgs. 3 and 4, the corean its windings are supported outside of the tank but the tank and magnet are-in proper relation so that the magnetic field developed by the magnet may affect the material the tank. For the purpose of supportmgthe magnet, I have shown. a bracket 6 secured upon the side of the tank but it will be evident that other means for supporting the magnet may be employed .with equal facility.

be circulated a cooling medium. Care should be taken that the the tankis directed and conti'dlleli 85 that e011 5 which is suitably sup- When the electric current is caused'to I pass through the conductor '2, a magnetic field of force will be developed which will radiate in substantially all directions from the magnet, and inasmuch as a pulsating direct. or alternating current is used, the gnagnetic field of force will be continually changing in density. The solution and material within the tank are conductors of electricity, at least to a certain extent, and therefore inasmuch as they are enveloped by the magnetic field ofcontinually changing density,- in all probability there will be induced in the contents of the tank, a secondaryl or induced current, and according to the theory of the induced current, this current will be induced in every particle of the contents of the tank, bothsolld and liquid.-

s my opinion that under'the influenceof the magnetic field changing in density,

or other substances being treated, will be caused to alternately flex or expand and contract, and in this manner, thetreating agent is more rapidly and effectively introof 7 force continually 1 or under the influence" 01 the mduced current, the fibersof. the meat d uced into the innermost ortions of the substance being impregnate in a short'period of time. Whether the theory which has just been advanced is the true-oneor not is quite immateriahso far as'the results obtained are concerned, and therefore I do not wish it to be understood that my process necessarily depends upon this theory. It is simply advanced as a possible explanation of the phenomenon which takes place. The; hastening'of the impregnating process takes place when a current of any pulsating or fore more convenient to handle, than is the cooling required in practisin case with the core when usin a low fre quency current. A further a vantage-lies in the factthat the voltage in the secondary or the solution and contents of the tank is more uniform at distances away from the coreand does not drop off so rapidly when the high frequency current is used as when the low frequency is used. An added advantage will be found in the difference be tween the power consumption when using the low frequency and the high frequency current, for I have found that the high frequency current results in a lower wattage consumption than with the use of low freuency current. But what I consider to be tie most important resultis that in using the current of high frequency I am enabled to effect the impregnation'in a much shorterperiod of time than when using a current of low frequency, and therefore iffor no other.

reason, the high frequency current is of the greatest advantage and importance. 4

Attention is called to the fact that the my process is a mlnimum and this is for t e reason that the induced current produces practically no heat in passing through the solution and substances in the tank. In a tank 31 inches long and 18 inches wide and 24 inches deep, which is the size of tank I have used, there is an ohmic resistance of only .04 of an ohm, when the tank is filled to within two or three inches of the top. From this it will be clear that there could be no great amount of heat generated due to the passage of the current through a conductor of such low resistance. In the experiments with the high frequency current the curing has been performed while maintaining a temperature of substantially 60 within the tank, and it has been found that it is only necessary to cool sufficiently to counteractthe effect of the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere. The amount of this cooling is practica-lly ne ligible and in this respect my process c-lear-Iy distin uishes from those electrical processes w erein electrodes are immessed within the tank. In the practice of such processes, it has been found that the cooling of the contents of the tank is of the utmost importance, and further is probably .the most'expensive item in the practice of the process.

In the form of apparatus shown in Fi s. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the magnetic fie d which is developed by the magnet extends equally upon both sides of the magnet and envelops the contents of the tank, whereas in the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the magnet is without the tank, but of course is placed in such position with relation to the tank that the contents will be enveloped at least by a portion of the magnetic flux.

Therefore it will be clear in both cases above mentioned that the conductor, both the solution and the'substance in the tank, are intersecting or cutting a certain number of the magnetic lines of force which are developed -when the magnet is energized.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The process o'fimpregnating one substance with another substance or substances,

which consists in bringing the substance to be treated and the treating substance or substances into pro er contact with-each other, and causing t e impregnation of the substance to be treated substantially entirely by the action upon the aforesaid sub stances of a magnetic field of changing density. '2. The process of impregnating one substance with another substance or substances, which consists in bringing the substance to be treated and the treating substance or substances into proper contact with each other, and subjecting them to the action of a magnetic field, the density of which changes with great rapidity.

3. The process of impregnating one sub-- stance with another substance or substances, which consists in inmiersin the substanceto be treated in a suitable so ution 'containin the treatin substance or substances, an causing the impregnation of the substance to be treated substantially entirely by the ac tion upon the aforesaid substances of a magnetic field of charging density.

4. The recess of lmpregnating one substance wit another substance or substances, which consists-in bringing the substances to be treated and the treating substance or substances into proper contact relation with each other, and causing the impregnation of the substance to be treated substantially entirely by the action upon the aforesaid substances of a secondary or induced current duoed current of high frequency to be set which is set up in the said substances. up 1n both substances. 10 5. The firocess of impregnating one sub- In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my stance wi another substance or substances, signature in the resence of two witnesses. 5 which consists in bringing the substance to AETHUR R. BULLOCK.

be treated and the treating substance or Witnesses:

substances into proper contact relation with A, J. Hunsox,

each other, and causing a secondary or in- H. R. SULLIVAN.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,035,777, granted August 13, 1912 upon the application of Arthur R. Bullock, of Cleveland, Ohio, for an improvement in Processes of Impregnating Substances, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 120, for the word charging read changing,- .and that the said Letters Patent should be read with correction therein that the same may coninrm to the rewrd ozf the case inthe Patent Ofice.

Signed and sealed this-17th day of September, A. 1)., 1912.

[SEALII o. o. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

stances of a secondary or induced current duoed current of high frequency to be set which is set up in the said substances. up 1n both substances. 10 5. The firocess of impregnating one sub- In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my stance wi another substance or substances, signature in the resence of two witnesses. 5 which consists in bringing the substance to AETHUR R. BULLOCK.

be treated and the treating substance or Witnesses:

substances into proper contact relation with A, J. Hunsox,

each other, and causing a secondary or in- H. R. SULLIVAN.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,035,777, granted August 13, 1912 upon the application of Arthur R. Bullock, of Cleveland, Ohio, for an improvement in Processes of Impregnating Substances, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 120, for the word charging read changing,- .and that the said Letters Patent should be read with correction therein that the same may coninrm to the rewrd ozf the case inthe Patent Ofice.

Signed and sealed this-17th day of September, A. 1)., 1912.

[SEALII o. o. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

